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Home -> Pekudei -> 5786

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Pekudei

אלה פקודי המשכן, משכן העדת

Rashi notes the redundancy of the word Mishkan.  He explains that the two words allude to the Mishkanos, which were taken from us.  In a play on words, the letters of mishkan can also be read as mashkon, collateral.  Chazal intimate that the two Batei Mikdash are collateral for the sins committed by the nation, and Hashem took them from us until that time that we repent and deserve its return.  The obvious question is: It was the Bais HaMikdash that was destroyed, not the Mishkan.  It is related that Horav A. Mishkovsky, zl, explained that, in the Bais HaMikdash,…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5786

אלה פקודי המשכן, משכן העדות

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Pekudei

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

We were blessed with the presence of a Sanctuary in our midst during three periods in Jewish history.  The period of the Mishkan lasted until the first Bais HaMikdash.  The first Bais HaMikdash was followed seventy years later by the second Bais HaMikdash.  While the two Batei Mikdash were eventually destroyed, the Mishkan remained eternal. Just because it is not in our immediate environs does not mean it is not secure in a Heavenly sphere.  Furthermore, as noted by Chazal (Shabbos 21B), it is prohibited to derive pleasure from the neiros, lights.  In his commentary to the Gemora, the Rav…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5786

Moshe saw the entire work, and Moshe blessed them. (39:43)

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Pekudei

וירא משה את כל המלאכה … ויברך אתם משה

What did Moshe Rabbeinu say to them?  What b’rachah, blessing, did he give them?  Yehi ratzon she’tishreh Shechinah, b’maaseh ye’deichem;  “May it be the will of Hashem that the Shechinah rest upon your handiwork.”  This blessing begs elucidation.  A blessing adds benefit; it elevates; it aspires for more.  The Mishkan was built already, the work of Bnei Yisrael complete.  Its entire purpose was for the Shechinah to rest on it.  What is the purpose of the b’rachah? Horav Boruch Dov Povarsky, Shlita, explains that the Mishkan was a spiritual edifice.  It manifested itself in material/physical components, but its essence was…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5786

כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Ki Sisa

When you take a census of Bnei Yisrael. (30:12)

Midrash Tanchuma (Parshas Ki Sissa) sets forth the notion that the machatzis ha’shekel, coin which every Jew had to donate, was to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf.  The Midrash says that the nations of the world declared, “A nation that heard at Sinai: A) I am Hashem, your G-d, followed by B) You shall not recognize the gods of others.” In spite of this, after only forty days, the people created the Golden Calf.  How could Hashem welcome them back?  This was no ordinary sin, but a grievous, flagrant act of unfaithfulness.  Chazal liken this to a…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5786

ומשרתו יהושע בן נון, נער, לא ימיש מתוך האהל

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Ki Sisa

His servant, Yehoshua Bin Nun, a lad, would not depart from within the tent. (33:11)

Yehoshua gave everything up in order to be in the tent of Torah.  As a result, he earned the position as Moshe Rabbeinu’s primary disciple and eventual successor. Many believe that leadership is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  In Torah, however, leadership goes far deeper.  Torah leaders are those who have proven themselves worthy of such responsibility – a position that can only be earned through dedication to, and toil in, Torah.  It is cultivated in the bais hamedrash, through long hours of study, presence, and commitment, not by worldly acumen or…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5786

הודיעני נא את דרכך

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Ki Sisa

Make Your ways known to me. (33:13)

Moshe Rabbeinu requested that the ways in which Hashem conducts the world be revealed to him.  Chazal (Berachos 7A) explain that he had a specific question which was pressing him, a question that has stumped every human: “Why is it that the righteous (will at times) suffer and the wicked (will at times) prosper?”  Veritably, this is a question that only plagues mortals.  Those whose neshamos have departed this world are privy to a supernal light which illuminates all that troubles us in this world.  Thus, they have no questions.  Hashem replied to Moshe, Lo Yiraani adam v’chai, “No human…

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Home -> 5786 -> Tetzaveh

ומלאת בו מלאת אבן ארבעה טורים אבן... והטור הרביעי תרשיש, ושהם, וישפה

Sruly Schnair
In Tetzaveh, 5786

You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon, your brother, for glory and splendor. (28:2)

Lashon Kodesh contains layers of nuance whereby various words translated similarly actually present subtle differences. In Sheimos HaNirdafin, Horav Shlomo Wertheimer, zl, devotes an entire sefer to distinguishing between these synonyms.  With regard to friendship, the Torah breaks it down to three primary terms:  chaver; rei’a; and yedid.  Each expresses a different dimension of human connection which gives us an insight into the true meaning of friendship. The most common term is chaver, which is a friend by chibur, attachment.  This means that the relationship is not one of emotion, but rather, of commitment.  A chavrusa is a study partner…

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Home -> 5786 -> Tetzaveh

ועשית בגדי קדש לאהרן אחיך לכבוד ולתפארת

Sruly Schnair
In Tetzaveh, 5786

You shall fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone … and the fourth row, tarshish, shoham and yashfeh. (28:17, 20)

You shall make bigdei kodesh, vestments of sanctity.  Were they used for sanctity or did they become holy when Aharon wore them to perform the Priestly service, or did the artisans craft them with the intention of making them holy?  Perhaps it was their designation for the Kohen Gadol who would perform the Divine Service in the Sanctuary that lent holiness to these vestments.  Clothing on its own is not intrinsically holy. When it is worn by a saintly person in the course of his performing a holy function, however, it transforms from garment to holy vestment.  Once the garments…

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Home -> 5786 -> Tetzaveh

ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל ... ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair
In Tetzaveh, 5786

I shall set My meeting there with Bnei Yisrael … I shall rest My Presence among Bnei Yisrael. (29:43,45)

Midrash Rabbah (Shemos 33) “quotes” Hashem as saying, “I sold/gave you My Torah – I sold Myself with it.”  This may be compared to a king who had one single daughter whom he loved very much.  Another king betrothed her and now asked permission to take his new wife to his country.  The father replied, “She is my only daughter. On the one hand, I cannot divest myself of her. On the other hand, she is your wife and must follow her husband.  I ask only that, wherever you set up your home, you construct a small room for me,…

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Home -> 5786 -> Terumah

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם

Sruly Schnair
In Terumah, 5786

Let them take for Me a portion from every man whose heart motivates him… They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them. (25:2,9)

Parashas Terumah focuses on the construction of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary in which the Shechinah, Divine Presence, would repose among Klal Yisrael.  One question requires elucidation.  The parshah is unquestionably all about the construction of a holy place for the Shechinah – the Mishkan.  Why, then, is the parshah called Terumah, contribution, and not Mishkan, Sanctuary? Perhaps the Torah seeks to convey a profound message: Holiness is not merely found in the structure itself, but in the willingness and predisposition of the people to give of themselves to create it.  While the MIshkan was designated as the place where the…

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